Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz have been disqualified from Singapore Grand Prix qualifying due to technical breaches.
The Williams duo placed 12th and 13th, respectively, on Saturday night at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. However, FIA F1 technical delegate Jo Bauer found that “both cars exceeded the maximum limit of 85mm on both sides of the rear wing outer area.”
F1 stewards noted that the Williams drivers said they conducted their own measurement prior to qualifying that showed their cars were in compliance, but they admitted that the subsequent measurement revealed an illegal gap.
“This is bitterly disappointing for the team, and we are urgently investigating how this happened,” Williams team principal James Vowles said in a statement. “At no point were we seeking a performance advantage, and the rear wings had passed our own checks earlier in the day, but there is only one measurement that matters, and we fully accept the FIA ruling.
“We have a car capable of scoring points here this weekend and will do everything we can to fight from the back of the grid tomorrow and will immediately review our processes to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
This is the second qualifying disqualification in as many rounds after Esteban Ocon’s rear wing failed post-session checks at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Sainz is coming off a third-place finish in Azerbaijan, while Albon ended up in 13th. The team accumulated 15 total points in the GP. Williams ranks fifth in the team standings with 101 points, 29 up on the Racing Bulls.
–Field Level Media
